For The Love Of A Cat
by Daydreamer79
Summary: 15yr old Itachi Uchiha becomes attached to the neighbor's cat who is more than what he seems.  Ita/Naru shonen-ai fluff


I don't own Naruto nor do I make money from it

Warnings: cursing, innocent love, mild romantic themes,…fluff.

**For The Love Of A Cat**

"Itachi! Can you get the groceries from the car?"

"Yes, Mother." Itachi fought the urge to roll his eyes at the order. He'd just turned fifteen and was now in possession of a driver's permit…not that he could legally drive without his mother or father being in the car, but that wasn't the point. He'd never let them know how bored he was with their continued treatment of him as if he was a child.

A bit of rustling caught his attention while filling his arms with the bags of groceries his mother left in the car for him to unpack. Putting down the two bags in his arms, his eyes narrowed on a bush off to the far side of the yard.

It was probably that strange orange tabby kitten the neighbors owned. For some reason the thing had taken a liking to Itachi and kept showing up randomly.

True to form, a small bundle of orange raced from the bush to rub through his feet. Chuckling from the direction of the house showed his mother smiling fondly at her son.

"That cat really likes you."

Itachi plucked the kitten from his feet, lifting it to stare into the strangely blue eyes. "Apparently."

"It's a shame you can't keep him. Your father's allergies just don't permit." She sighed regretfully and left Itachi alone.

"Not like he doesn't already have a home." Itachi snuggled the kitten to his chest, relishing in the soft fur against his neck. On cue, the little bundle of fur began to purr-loudly. His heart lurched in his chest at the feeling of warmth radiating from the little ball of fluff.

"You're a strange one." The little kitten's response was a mew followed by even louder purrs.

Itachi glanced over at the neighbor's empty yard and quiet house. They were rarely home, leaving the poor kitten to fend for himself during the daylight hours. If he kept the kitten in his room, his father would never realize there was an animal in the house. The neighbors obviously wouldn't miss him if he was always coming here. They said an animal picked the owner and the kitten obviously picked him. It was meant to be.

The decision was made. Itachi smirked, shoved the kitten in his jacket pocket, and crept silently into the house. He paused by the supply closet to grab a canister of the allergen air spray kept to help with Fugaku Uchiha's horrible allergies and raced up the stairs to his room. His heart pounded wildly in fear of his father or mother catching him.

Rushing into his room, he slammed the door and turned to look on in horror at his father seated at his desk, printing several sheets from the printer. "Father?"

Fugaku turned to level a gaze on Itachi before shutting down the lap top. "My printer ran out of ink and I needed to print off several things before work tomorrow."

He stood, moved towards the door, and paused. His face wrinkled up-almost comically for his rather stoic father. A loud sneeze had the kitten in his jacket digging its tiny claws into him. It was a miracle he didn't cry out or physically show any discomfort from the needle like claws.

"Have you been around any animals?"

Itachi gritted his teeth before speaking. "The neighbor's cat rubbed up against me while I was outside."

"Hmph…that must be it. I swear, I think my allergies are getting worse if only rubbing against you could set me off. Make sure you spray the room." Fugaku sneezed again, moving quickly from the room and closing the door behind him.

"That was close." Itachi pulled the kitten from his jacket, the little orange fur mussed from the close space. Blue eyes blinked innocently up at him before a paw was lifted and righting of the ruffled fur commenced. "You'll need to be quiet and don't let anyone see you. Father is allergic to ever type of animal. Mother even tried him out on hairless animals and reptiles. I think a lot of it is in his head though I have no doubt furry animals might make him sneeze."

The kitten mewed, placing a paw on Itachi's hand. Itachi smiled, picking up the kitten and rubbing his face across the soft fur. He wanted to keep this kitten and would do everything in his power to do so.

The world obviously had other plans as no sooner had the thought crossed his mind did his ten year old brother barrel into his room. "Itachi I want to…is that a cat?"

Itachi's eyes flew open in shock. "Sasuke? Why are you in my room?"

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to play. You can't have a cat here. Mother says Father is deadfully allergic to animals. Does that mean he'll die if we get one?" Dark eyes grew wide. "You're planning to assimilate Father!"

"It's assassinate and no I'm not going to kill father." Itachi jumped up and slammed the door.

"Looks like it to me. You're mad because he only lets you drive Mother's car so you want to assimilate Father."

"It's not about Father. I feel connected to the kitten."

Sasuke leaned over to poke at the kitten with a finger.

The kitten hissed at Sasuke who returned the action with a scowl. "What's so great about a cat?"

"It's a kitten and he likes me." Itachi ran a finger up the orange kitten's nose, pausing to scratch his ears which created a resounding purr.

"You're gonna get in big trouble when Father finds out." Sasuke reached out to pet the kitten, only to earn a hiss and clawless slap from a paw. "Big trouble."

"But you're not going to tell, are you?"

Sasuke sniffed, crossing his arms. "What's in it for me?"

"I'll let you play with him."

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't like idiot cats."

Itachi nibbled on his lower lip, scanning the room. "You can have my baseball glove."

Another shake of the head. "I don't like baseball. I'll tell you what I want. I want you to take me to the park every day and push me on the swings. If you miss even one day, I'll tell Father."

"You little brat." Itachi scowled, prepared to tell his brother no way until the kitten fell from the bed to roll across the floor and landing in a heap.

The action was so adorable; Itachi couldn't bear to part with the kitten. As far as he knew, the kitten didn't even have a name yet. Sasuke, the little blackmailer, would get his park escort.

Sasuke shrugged and moved to the door, only pausing at Itachi's exclaimed, "Wait!"

"Fine. I'll take you to the park everyday."

Sasuke smirked devilishly, his eyes gleaming happily. "I knew you'd see things my way."

Itachi felt the kitten purring happily against his leg and knew he'd made the right decision. "What should I name you?"

"Itachi! Dinner!"

Heaving a sigh, he moved away from the bed and napping kitten. "I'll have to figure out what to name you later."

Downstairs, Mikoto was placing dinner on the table. Fugaku and Sasuke were already seated when he entered the room.

"Itachi, can you grab the rolls from the counter?"

Itachi snatched the basket of rolls, setting them on the table and taking his seat across from Sasuke. Fugaku sniffed a little, his eyes slightly red but otherwise he seemed fine. He glanced at Itachi. "Make sure you change your clothes after you play with an animal. The residual dander sets off my allergies."

"Yes, Father."

"Did you see the kitty, Mother?" Sasuke asked slyly.

"I did, sweetheart. Maybe we can have your father try some of the new medicines they are creating to help allergy suffers." Mikoto smiled gently at her younger son, completely oblivious to the calculating gleam in his eye. Fugaku was focused on his dinner and almost completely ignoring the other members at the table, only answering in grunts or single word answers.

"Mother, I've decided to start taking Sasuke to the park every day after school." Itachi jumped in, glaring at the triumphant look spreading across Sasuke's face. The little shit was pushing his weight around to prove he meant what he said about telling on Itachi if he didn't get his way.

"Oh, that's nice dear. Make sure he finishes his homework every day before you go." Mikoto ruffled her younger son's hair before showering Itachi with a happy smile.

"I will."

The remainder of dinner passed by smoothly, Sasuke behaving himself and the family completely oblivious of the small furry house guest sleeping contentedly upstairs. Itachi was careful to hide bits of meat and bread in his napkin before putting his plate in the dishwasher, grabbing a glass of milk, and a small platter.

Once again in the safety of his room, Itachi noticed the small indention in the bed was empty. What if the kitten had gotten out? If Fugaku found him, he was likely to kill the poor kitten. Itachi began panicking until a small pawing at his foot drew his attention.

Heaving a sigh, he flopped into his back beside his bed and pulled the kitten onto his chest. "Thank goodness you weren't found."

The kitten blinked innocently at him. "You're cute. I brought you some dinner."

Itachi poured the milk in the saucer, and then broke up the bits of roast and bread on the napkin beside it. "It's probably too dangerous to buy you kitten food. I hope this will do for now."

The kitten mewed before plowing his face into the milk. In a matter of minutes he'd cleaned the saucer of every last drop of milk and eaten every bite of the food. His little belly bulged and tongue began cleaning his fur.

Itachi spent an hour playing with the kitten before settling on his bed to finish his homework. The kitten curled up on his pillow, contented. The sight of the little ball of fur roused a warmth in his chest he tended to hide from others. Usually only Sasuke brought out the warmth when he wasn't being a conniving little shit.

Dropping off to sleep, he smiled faintly in happiness. His own little kitten. He considered names but nothing seemed to fit. An animal name like Fluffy or Socks seemed out of place. The loud purrs emanating from the kitten tugged him into a sense of contentment, sleep overtaking him.

As Itachi's breath evened, a bit of light flashed in the room and where the kitten once stood was a boy about ten. His messy blond hair hung in his sapphire colored eyes and little fuzzed orange ears flicked back and forth in interest. He nibbled on his lip as he climbed into bed with the older.

"My name is Naruto."

Itachi mumbled in his throat, turning over on his side as if to make room for his house guest. The little boy giggled at the older, settling in front of the computer to email his parents and play a couple of games.

Logging into his email, he typed up a quick message to his parents. They would probably worry if he didn't check in though strictly speaking, he wasn't supposed to leave the yard. He would hear it from them when he finally returned home. His kind wasn't as strict as the humans when it came to children. As long as he had food and checked in occasionally, things would be fine for a while. That finished, he decided to spend a little time playing on the computer. It was nicer than the one he had at home.

While surfing through Itachi's bookmarks, he found an interesting site. The sound was turned down but the couple on the video were doing weird things. The man seemed to love the woman a lot. If Naruto didn't know any better, he would say they were mates.

His little kitten ears cocked forward before glancing down at his flat immature chest. He wasn't a girl but he was certain with every fiber in his being of Itachi being his mate. His parents always told him he was too young, yet he kept insisting of the fact he and Itachi were meant to be with each other. That he couldn't even hold human form during the day didn't even deter him from his determination of wooing Itachi into his affection.

Yawning, he reached up to scratch a fuzzed ear before curling up next to Itachi. The other had moved to his back once more, which allowed Naruto to press his head to the warm chest and relax to the sound of a heart. Contentment couldn't even begin to describe how he felt in this moment. Today was his best day ever.

[center]oOo[/center]

Itachi yawned, waking up to the feel of a soft body curled happily on his chest. "Good morning, Naruto."

He blinked several times. Where had that name come from? Come to think of it, what was a Naruto? It sounded Japanese but his family raised him and Sasuke with very little knowledge of their Asian ancestry.

Careful not to wake the kitten, he scooped the furry body from his chest and went about his morning before school rituals. He set the remainder of the roast he'd brought up and a bowl of water on the floor before turning to leave. "Be quiet so they don't hear you, okay?"

Naruto's eyes lazily slid open. He yawned widely, showing a mouth full of needle sharp teeth before giving an understanding mew. Itachi smiled at the kitten before turning to leave his room.

He'd finished eating breakfast and opened the front door only to see a couple standing there. He recognized them as the Namikazes from next door. His heart began pounding in his chest so loudly he was sure everyone could hear it.

"Excuse us. My name is Minato. We were wondering if you'd seen our kitten." The blond man spoke first, making Itachi's heart stutter in his chest. He could tell him Naruto was upstairs in his bed or he could lie. Naruto was better off with him as far as Itachi was concerned.

"I saw him yesterday in the yard." It wasn't exactly a lie. He did see him yesterday…only he took him home afterwards.

"Oh! Minato, Kushina, how nice to see you." Mikoto pushed past her son to offer warm hugs to the two.

"How are you, Mikoto?"

"I was just leaving to take these two to school. Was there something you needed?"

"Our kitten. Have you seen him?" Kushina asked, her eyes leveling on Itachi as she spoke.

"Itachi was playing with him yesterday. That's the last I saw of him," Mikoto turned to lock the door, Itachi moving quickly past the couple.

A hand shot out and piercing blue eyes stared into Itachi's dark. "Tell Naruto he needs to be home tomorrow."

Itachi's eyes widened. The hand on his arm loosened and the couple moved down the drive to their house. They couldn't know he had the kitten. And how did they know his name was Naruto? Were they spying on him?

"Come on, Itachi or you will be late for school."

Itachi couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding. If they knew he had the kitten, they would tell his father if he didn't return him but the catch was, he couldn't give Naruto to them. He wanted to keep him with him forever.

Throughout the entire day, Itachi fretted over the kitten and what would happen if he ever lost him. Once he was home, Sasuke set about doing his homework and Itachi raced upstairs to check on the kitten. He was safe and sound, and sleeping on Itachi's pillow.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he changed from his school uniform and into comfortable jeans and a tee-shirt. A knock on his door bespoke the obvious. Sasuke was here to claim his debt.

"Hurry up! I've finished my homework. Let's go before it gets dark."

Rolling his eyes, he gave Naruto one last pat before walking out the door. As per their agreement, Itachi took Sasuke to the park and then for an ice cream afterwards. It was just starting to get dark when they walked through the front door.

Itachi didn't have a chance to change his clothes before dinner. Like the night before, he snuck food into his napkin and took a glass of milk to his room. Upon opening the door, he really wasn't prepared for the sight of a naked boy playing on his computer.

The blond head turned slowly, eyes growing wide. "Uh…"

Orange ears flattened against the blond locks and a delicate hand lifted. "Hi."

"Who are you?" The ears were definitely distracting now that he'd gotten over the shock of the nakedness. "What are you?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze."

Itachi reached out a hand to touch the flicking ears, only to jerk back. "You didn't answer the what."

Naruto tilted his head to the side as if considering his response. "I'm a cat?"

Was that a question? Itachi scratched his head. "I must be hallucinating."

Naruto shook his head vehemently. "No. No. I'm here. I was just so hooked on this game that I forgot the time and didn't realize you were home until you came in. Sorry. I can turn back into a cat if you want but I thought…maybe we could play."

"Play?"

Naruto's stomach chose that moment to release a particularly loud grumble. He blushed, laughing a little. "Sorry. I haven't eaten today."

Itachi's eyes grew wide. He pulled out the roll and beef tips. It looked tiny when placed in Naruto's hands. "I can go see if I can get you more. I wasn't expecting you to be so…big. Or human for that matter."

"I'm fine. My stomach is small." Naruto accepted the milk and downed it just as quickly as he'd inhaled the few bites of food.

Itachi sat on the bed, staring at Naruto. "Can I touch them?"

Blue eyes widened in confusion. "Touch what?"

"Your ears."

A blush stained the cheeks once more but he settled on the bed beside Itachi, offering his head. Itachi couldn't believe how soft they were. They were even softer than the kitten. Naruto's chest rumbled happily against his arm in a loud purr.

"Now that you've seen me in human form, I don't have to worry about keeping my cat form all the time."

"You're the kitten?"

Naruto grinned. "Yep. I wanted you to take me home with you so bad but you kept ignoring me until yesterday. It made me so happy when you took me inside."

"Does that mean…Can I keep you?"

Naruto's face lit up like a Fourth of July firework. "Yes! We're mates."

"You mean…like mate…mates? You…You're too young. I'm too young." Itachi was panicking a little. He couldn't…Naruto didn't expect him to…He blushed brightly, even more so than Naruto. He thought about sex a lot as any hot blooded boy in puberty but sex with a kid the same physical age as Sasuke was revolting.

Naruto shrugged. "We can still be mates. I'll always come for you. That's what mates do."

"What about your parents?"

Naruto snorted. "They won't interfere with mates."

Itachi wasn't so sure. He shifted uncomfortable as Naruto moved closer, his nose snuffling along his shirt. "You smell nice."

This was definitely crazy but he found himself relaxing as Naruto cuddled close much like the kitten. "Itachi…my mate."

"I'm going to get you some clothes." Itachi needed to get away from him. It was too bazaar and he needed to think.

Without waiting for Naruto to speak again, he crept from his room and down to the washroom where he pilfered one of Sasuke's tee-shirts and a pair of shorts. After Naruto was dressed they could talk about what to do. Obviously he couldn't hide a boy in his room as easily as he did a kitten.

"It's getting late." Itachi shifted, constantly glancing at the door. "You can have the bed."

"Mates sleep together. I'll sleep wherever you sleep."

Itachi bit his lip. There was nothing to worry about. Naruto was just a kid. Itachi nodded, about to slide into bed when Naruto released a low whine, sounding more like a dog than a cat.

"What is it?"

"Mama and Dad."

Itachi's jaw tightened. "Where are they?"

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh and took Itachi by the hand. They snuck quietly downstairs and out the front door where Minato and Kushina Namikaze stood waiting.

"Naruto…You need to go home and finish packing. We're moving tomorrow." Kushina smiled, stroking a hand over Naruto's fluffy orange ears.

"I'm not going!" He crossed skinny arms over a bony chest. "I'm staying with Tachi."

"Naruto!" Minato's booming voice had Naruto's ears dropping immediately to his head. "You're too young to claim a mate. You're glands haven't grown. You can't mark him. You might as well not be mated. He's still able to be with anyone he wants and it will hurt you."

Naruto's eyes welled up with tears. "But I want him."

Itachi's arms wrapped around the small body. "I'll take care of him. I promise."

Kushina smiled sadly, placing a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "I know you would, but Naruto has a lot of growing to do. He'll need special care during several growth spurts and I'm afraid you couldn't keep him hidden for long. He's better with us."

What she said was rational, but it didn't stop Itachi from digging his heels in. He wanted Naruto. Some innate part of him wanted to never leave the blond's side. They were meant to be together.

Minato placed a hand on both Naruto and Itachi's shoulders. "Mates are destined. They always find each other. If you two are destined to be mates, you'll meet up eventually."

Naruto's lower lip quivered and he glanced at Itachi, whose jaw was clenched to keep from crying. "But he's my mate. Mates don't abandon each other."

"You're not abandoning him, sweetie. You're only taking a vacation from each other. You'll meet again." Kushina wrapped her comforting arms around Naruto. "I promise and an Uzumaki never breaks a promise."

Ears flat to his head, Naruto turned back to Itachi. "Mama says I have to go but we'll meet again. So I promise I'll come back for you when I'm grown and strong. I'll make you my mate."

Naruto grabbed Itachi's shirt, pulling him down so that their lips touched in an innocent kiss. Minato said Naruto couldn't mark him but in Itachi's eyes, he'd just done that. There was nothing even faintly sexual about the chaste kiss yet it rocked Itachi to his core. He felt Naruto's lips burned into his soul like a brand.

After what seemed like an eternity, Naruto pulled away and followed quietly after his parents. Every few steps his eyes glanced back to see Itachi still shell-shocked.

Only after Naruto disappeared into the house did he truly feel the loss of what he'd possessed for far too short of a time.

**oOo**

**Ten Years Later**

Itachi slid from the seat of his SUV. His shoes made a slight scrapping on the paved walkway as he made his way towards the door. After graduating from college in two years instead of the average four, he'd begun working for his father in his accounting firm. It wasn't the most thrilling work, but he'd always loved numbers.

Though he was tired every day after work, today felt even heavier. His father had retired last year, leaving Itachi in charge. Under his watchful eye, things had grown exponentially but despite his professional success, something was missing from his personal life.

"Itachi dear, is that you?"

Itachi placed his coat on the rack and walked in the direction of his mother's voice. "Yes, Mother."

"In here, dear. There is someone here to see you."

Itachi plastered a look of neutrality on his face only to have shock to spread across his face. Sitting in a chair across from his mother was Naruto. He looked different but there was no denying the black whiskers streaked across his cheeks or the tussled blond hair. He was older and had filled out beautifully. Broad shoulders bled into strong lean arms and tapered to a slender waist. When he smiled, the room practically lit up.

He was smiling at Itachi now.

"N-Naruto?"

"He said you were friends when you were little. I can't for the life of me remember him but you know my memory has never been good with names and faces." Mikoto set about pouring a cup of tea for Itachi after gesturing for Itachi to join them.

"It's been a long time." Naruto's smile never left his face. If anything, it seemed to grow in wattage.

Itachi swallowed, feeling strangely content for the first time since the day he'd had to give up his 'kitten'. "Ten years."

"I told you I'd be back. It was a promise."

"I thought you'd forgotten about me." Itachi glanced down at the brown liquid swirling in his cup. It was almost embarrassing. He was acting like a girl.

"I'd never forget about you."

Mikoto blinked owlishly at the two. "You seem close."

"Itachi is my mate."

The words took a moment to register but once they did, Itachi promptly choked on the sip of tea he'd just begun to swallow. Both Uchiha stared at him almost dumbly, Mikoto being the first to recover. "Come again?"

Itachi began to chuckled. "I think he just laid a claim to me."

"What…What sort of a claim?" Mikoto asked, though it was obvious she knew just what kind.

Naruto smiled, his hand reaching across to clasp Itachi's. "The forever kind."

The touch made Itachi shudder almost violently. Unlike when he was a child, this shock of connection made his heart race and his mouth go dry. It completed him in ways he couldn't even begin to describe if asked but from the moment they touched, the connection was renewed. Their hearts beat in time. His shocked mother recovered but he only paid her a passing thought. Naruto was his focus and strangely enough, he was fine with that.

"Alright…" Fugaku stormed into the room where Mikoto, Itachi, and Naruto were seated, his eyes red and leaking. "Where's the damn cat?"

The end~

**A/N**: A birthday gift for DisgruntledMinion that I just now uploaded to this site. I labeled it as T because of the little kiss at the end. I hope you all enjoyed.


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